Because he had woken up from a severe hangover, even after opening his eyes the next day, Ren Kuroda's head felt like it was being split apart.
It wasn't just that his consciousness was still hazy from the lingering effects of alcohol—his entire body ached abnormally as well.
The reason for that was simple. The power he had used the previous night had already far exceeded the maximum load his body could endure.
Under normal circumstances, merely entering a state of Half-Demonization combined with "Blade Spirit Release" was already an enormous burden on the body. And yet, in that very state, he had forcibly pushed his yōkai power to a level comparable to SS+ rank by relying on the Fear trait "Born to Drink."
In ordinary situations, Ren's demonized combat power only reached S+ rank, which had always been the highest limit his yōkai power could achieve.
But last night, that ceiling had been shattered by more than an entire tier.
If his body had been able to handle that without consequences, that would have been truly supernatural.
Fortunately, the physique of the oni race was exceptionally resilient, and on top of that, Ren possessed the ability "Regeneration." Otherwise, if this had been anyone else, their body would already be completely ruined after stacking so many amplification states at once.
At present, Kidōin was still in Kyoto.
The matter of the Hagoromo Fox had yet to be fully resolved. According to both the Hanakaiin family and the Nura Group, the Samurai Spirit simply didn't carry enough authority or weight to completely replace Kidōin in decision-making. Everything would have to wait until Ren regained consciousness.
The Hagoromo Fox had already lifted the curses placed on both the Nura Group and the Hanakaiin family. However, the scope of this incident was far too vast, and Ren—having been the primary force opposing Abe no Seimei—was a central figure in everything that followed. As a result, neither side could bypass him and make unilateral decisions.
In truth, though, during the time Ren was unconscious, the Hanakaiin family and the Nura Group had already reached a general understanding with the Hagoromo Fox.
With the curses lifted, the Hanakaiin family could no longer be considered friendly toward her—but they were no longer shouting for blood either.
As for the Nura Group, once they learned that the entire conspiracy had been orchestrated by Abe no Seimei and Kyōchi Jizō, their hatred successfully shifted targets. They were now fully determined to eliminate Abe no Seimei and the Hyakumonogatari Group.
The reason they still insisted on waiting for Ren to wake up was simple: they needed him to state his position clearly and declare where he stood.
In other words, they had already loosened their stance regarding the Hagoromo Fox, given her enough face, and shown sufficient goodwill. Now it was Ren's turn to respond in kind.
After all, Kidōin's series of actions since entering Kyoto had made both the Hanakaiin family and the Nura Group increasingly uneasy.
Their behavior followed no conventional logic whatsoever. Even their leader, Ren Kuroda, acted entirely on impulse.
In the past, that wouldn't have been much of an issue. Back then, everyone had simply regarded Ren as a junior with impressive potential.
But after the Battle of Kyoto, both the Hanakaiin family and the Nura Group understood something very clearly:
They had completely underestimated Ren—and Kidōin as a whole.
This wasn't just some promising up-and-comer.
If someone were to say that Ren Kuroda was one of the strongest yōkai in the world today, not a single person present would dare step forward to refute it.
And precisely because of that overwhelming strength, the Hanakaiin family and the Nura Group needed to know Ren's stance—and what his true objective was.
The question of stance boiled down to whether Ren would continue acting as he had when he first entered Kyoto—wavering unpredictably, helping the Hagoromo Fox one moment and aiding them the next.
Abe no Seimei alone was already a mortal enemy to both the Hanakaiin family and the Nura Group.
If Kidōin were to be added to that list as well, the consequences would be utterly unimaginable.
Beyond that, the Hanakaiin family felt it necessary to understand Ren's personality and ambitions.
Those who possess great power often see their ambitions swell alongside it. Not every strong individual can maintain their original convictions after gaining world-shaking strength.
Abe no Seimei had been such a case in the past.
And perhaps, in the future, Ren might become a second Abe no Seimei.
So although this meeting was nominally about discussing matters, in truth, it was more about observing Ren—and judging whether he might one day become another Abe no Seimei.
When Ren arrived at Kidōin alongside the Samurai Spirit and the Nekomata, Hanakaiin Yura and the others had already been waiting for quite some time.
Inside the Hanakaiin family's reception hall sat several figures.
In addition to Hanakaiin Yura, the current acting head of the family, Nura Nurarihyon and Nura Rikuo were also present.
Because Hanakaiin Hidemoto was standing behind Yura, advising her in secret, the Hanakaiin side had sent only her to the meeting.
When Yura saw Ren enter the room in his normal state, her face immediately lit up with delight.
But after remembering something, she puffed out her cheeks in irritation and turned her head sharply to the side.
"Congratulations, Yura. I heard you're the head of the Hanakaiin family now," Ren said with a grin."Hey… you're not still mad, are you? Besides, it's not like I completely lied to you.Didn't I say before? That before things got completely out of control, the Tenjoin family would step in to help."
Facing the sulking, expressionless girl, Ren felt genuinely apologetic.
Back in the Kantō region, she had truly treated him like an older brother—yet he had deceived her.
"Hmph! Don't talk about some Tenjoin family," Yura shot back."It was clearly Kidōin the whole time—and all yōkai, not some onmyōji clan at all!"
Hearing Ren's words, Yura did recall that he had indeed promised to help before Kyoto's crisis spiraled beyond control—and he had kept that promise.
Still, when she thought about how she'd foolishly been deceived, mistaking a yōkai boss for a trusted older brother, her frustration only grew.
"No, no, no. Sure, things turned out a bit differently than I described—but I really didn't lie," Ren said earnestly."The Tenjoin family is an onmyōji family. It's just… fallen into decline. And I didn't break our agreement either.Because right now, the Tenjoin family has only one member left—me. So when I helped you, that was the Tenjoin family helping you. I'm not wrong."
After hearing Ren's shamelessly twisted logic, Yura's mouth fell open slightly.
She felt like something was definitely off—but with her somewhat airheaded nature, she couldn't find a single argument to refute him.
"So Tenjoin-kun really does come from an onmyōji family…" Hanakaiin Hidemoto said thoughtfully from behind her."No wonder your onmyōji techniques during the battle were so astonishing.And with yōkai blood flowing through you as well… would it be fair to assume that one of your parents was a yōkai, and the other an onmyōji?"
Yura was still sulking, but Hidemoto had already seized on the most important detail in Ren's words.
Ren's origins had always been a mystery.
Even Nura Nurarihyon—the first to discover Ren—only had a vague understanding of his identity.
Yet in this brief exchange, they had uncovered quite a bit of previously unknown information.
"Well, that's pretty much right," Ren replied casually."My parents do indeed come from a yōkai clan and an onmyōji family. That interpretation isn't wrong."
Upon hearing Ren confirm it, Hidemoto was genuinely stunned.
Such a situation completely overturned everything he believed he knew.
A child born from a union between humans and yōkai was already considered an outcast by both sides.
But what Hidemoto never imagined was that Ren's background was even more outrageous—he was the child of a yōkai and an onmyōji.
Throughout history, hadn't onmyōji and yōkai always been sworn enemies?
Even the relationship between Hidemoto himself and Nura Nurarihyon had long been criticized by others. Compared to that, a yōkai and an onmyōji becoming husband and wife was utterly inconceivable.
At the same time, everything finally made sense.
Unlike ordinary humans, onmyōji possessed spiritual power.
A child born from yōkai yōki and onmyōji spiritual power—how could such an existence not be powerful?
Such a half-demon would inherit a yōkai's long lifespan, a human's extraordinary learning ability and talent, and potentially both parents' powers simultaneously.
It was an existence even more absurd than Abe no Seimei himself.
Of course, with Hidemoto's vast knowledge, he also understood that children born from yōkai–onmyōji unions almost always died young.
Not everyone was Abe no Seimei—someone whose body could withstand both yōki and spiritual power.
Even Abe no Seimei himself had first possessed yōki as a half-yōkai at birth, later cultivating spiritual power through his own training.
After all, although Seimei was a half-demon, his father had merely been an ordinary human—not an onmyōji.
"May I be so bold as to ask," Hidemoto continued carefully,"what are your parents' names, Tenjoin-kun?"
After learning of Ren's astonishing origins, Hidemoto tried to glean even more information from him.
Judging by Ren's strength alone, even if he had perfectly inherited his parents' abilities, they could not have been obscure figures. His talent was the most direct proof of that.
"As you can see," Ren said calmly,"My mother came from the Tenjoin family. She was the gentlest, kindest person in the world.As for my trash of a father—well, I only know that he's from the oni race. And if I ever run into him… I wouldn't mind killing him myself."
Then Ren's tone shifted, impatience surfacing.
"So—why did you actually call me here?You're not seriously planning to interrogate my family background, are you?The Hagoromo Fox matter is already settled, isn't it? And I've kept my promise to Yura. I'll be leaving Kyoto soon."
Being questioned incessantly about his origins was clearly wearing on him. Ren made it obvious that if the conversation continued down this pointless path, he had no intention of staying.
"It's because they're worried your strength is too great," Yura blurted out bluntly from the side."They're afraid your ambitions might swell—and that you'll become the second Abe no Seimei.And they also want to know… when it comes to Abe no Seimei himself, will you stand on our side?"
Seeing that Hidemoto was still circling around the topic, Yura—true to her straightforward nature—simply laid bare the real reason they had summoned Ren.
For reasons she herself didn't quite understand, even after learning of Ren's identity and terrifying strength, Yura felt no disgust or fear toward him.
To her, Ren Kuroda was still the same gentle senior she had met back in Ukyo Town—the older brother figure she trusted.